This invention relates to a manually playable electronic musical instrument and, more particularly, to an electronic musical instrument of this type having an improved performance operator.
According to the invention, there are provided an operator such as a bar-like touch operator capable of detecting multiple play positions (touch positions) arranged in a predetermined direction (e.g., a longitudinal direction) of the operator, and a tone generation designation operator such as keys. Tone pitch is designated in response to a play position detected by the operator and a tone signal having the designated tone pitch is generated in accordance with the operation of the tone generation designation operator whereby the degree of freedom in the performance of the electronic musical instrument is improved.
A keyboard has generally been employed as a tone pitch designation means in an electronic musical instrument.
In an electronic musical instrument using a keyboard, one can play a normal music piece and glissando but cannot play portamento in which the tone pitch changes at a desired speed. For realizing such portamento performance, there has been proposed an electronic musical instrument in which a bar-like touch operator (called a "portamento bar") is provided and a continuous tone pitch change is realized by touching this bar-like operator in a sliding manner (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,626,350).
According to the prior art portamento performance device, a tone is produced immediately upon start of touching on the portamento bar and the tone pitch of the tone changes as the touch position changes but, when the touch on the portamento bar has been released, the tone which has been produced starts to decay and it is not possible to start generation of a tone of the tone pitch corresponding to the touch release position from the beginning. Neither is it possible in the prior art device to start generation of a tone corresponding to a desired touch position from the beginning while the performer slides the touch position on the portamento bar. Expression technique by this prior art device therefore has to be limited.
It is an object of the invention to provide an electronic musical instrument having a larger degree of freedom of performance without such limitation.